How to Create an Index Website for Your WordPress Blog
If you have ever blogged, then you will know the pain of trying to find content to write about. Especially when you are new to blogging and try to build up your own blog following, this can be incredibly frustrating.
One solution may be to create an index website. An index website is essentially a collection of blog posts—usually several hundred to a thousand words in length—organized into themed sections. Because these posts are shorter than your typical blog post, they are easier to manage and distribute. And, because they are shorter, they take less time to read. Thus, giving you more time to write new content.
In this article, we will outline how to create an index website for your WordPress blog. We will cover everything from the essential design and navigation, to the content you should include in each section.
The Basics
Before you start any design or development work on your project, you should take the time to think about what you want your site to achieve. Do you just want to generate some leads and website traffic? Do you want to build a knowledge base on a certain topic? Or, do you want to create an online shop where you can sell and promote your products?
Start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords and phrases that your target audience might use to search for content related to your blog. You can use free tools like Google Keyword Planner to help you find and analyze the volume of traffic generated by each keyword. You can find more information about generating website traffic here.
Once you have your list, you can begin to work on specific topics or themes for your site. If you are looking to generate some leads or website traffic, then start with the tourism section (for example). Or, if you are looking to build a knowledge base on a certain topic, then begin with the science section (for example).
Design & Navigation
The design and navigation of your index website will affect the overall user experience. As a beginner blogger, you will probably want to go for a minimalistic design that blends in with the overall look and feel of a WordPress blog. But, once you start getting into the groove of things, you can develop a more artistic and colorful style.
Since you are building this site to serve as a guide or an index of your blog posts, you will want to give the users the ability to easily navigate your content. To achieve this, develop a simple but attractive navigation bar at the top of the page. You can use the built-in navigation options or plugins to create a professional looking navigation menu. The best part about this approach is that it makes your content a bit more discoverable. When users can’t find what they are looking for, they will leave the website.
Key Topics & Themes
The exact layout and design of your index website will be based on the following key topics and themes:
- Trip planning
- Family travel
- Holidays / Vacations
- Real estate
- Expert guides
- Shopping
- Fashion
- Beauty / Health
- Cultural norms / customs
- Food / Drinks
- Celebrations
Each of these sections will contain several hundred to a thousand words of content. Plus, you can add additional content to each section as you see fit. The only restriction is that the content within these sections should relate to one of the key topics or themes listed above.
For example, you could have a section on family travel (
- Family trips
- How to plan a family vacation
- Types of families vacation
) that contains content such as:
- Family trip planning
- Dream holidays for families
- How to choose the right destination for your family
- Types of families you should consider traveling with
- Making memories & having fun
- Eco tourism
Hopefully, this has given you an idea of how to create an index website for your WordPress blog. This approach can help you generate website traffic and leads from various industries (tourism, real estate, etc.) For more information on how visitors find your content, you should read this article: How to Build a Better Blog Name